This is the northeast corner of Preston and Gladstone. The little survey sticks on the slope have been there for six months, but something has just changed. There are five fewer trees there now. The pines have been removed to make way for the entranceway feature to Little Italy called the Bambinos.

Located on the north and south sides of Gladstone, it will read as a continuous horizontal arch. The decorative sidewalk paving on the west sides of Preston were designed to continue across the road to join the east side, but City engineering requirements were so onerous that it became impracticable.

The Bambinos are symbolic of both a soccer team and of the Italian family. I am unable to get a recent illustration of the current structure which should be completed by mid-June this year. Instead, here is a prior version. I gather it has been refined somewhat, the figures are shorter, of a variety of heights, and includes a curvilinear back wall that helps unite the assembly.

Update:  here is a new sketch of what the project will look like. I hope to update this post yet again once I find out just what the black band behind the heads is made of, so check back again if this project/location interests you. Please note the scale of the proposed Bambini – there are real humans faintly ghosted into the drawings. The text indicates that the sculptures will be 21′ high.